Conflict
i live in conflict, it's more interesting and exciting to try and change things, than to go with the flow... here's my page dedicated to advertising conflict. effortless conflict i’m tired of the need for drama everywhere, just to keep people’s attentions. our attention spans aren’t short, but media is doing it’s damnedest to cater to the lowest common denominator, which sets the standards for everyone else. everything on television now is served up in tiny little packets of instant gratification, containing absolutely zero calories. our brains need calories to thrive, just like our bodies. we do not need to put our brains on this big of a diet. i get frustrated by shows that were conceived with good intentions, to share historical or scientific information, but after the initial ratings sink, the content in the programs sinks to lower the barrier to entry. look, some people just don’t want to think, that’s great. channels like MTV, USA, TBS, TNT, etc exist for people who want to turn their brains off. channels like Discovery, The History Channel, The LEARNING Channel at one time offered quality content and information. but those days are gone, and for what reason? advertising revenue, i would imagine. but this brings me to my point, as a population, we have been dumbed down by our entertainment. everything has been watered down so much that it is comprehensible for anyone, without inspiring the need to do any additional background research, because they water it down SO much that they tie up any and all loose ends in the process, so you don’t have to think. we just love drama, we love it when people get pissed off at one another over mis-communication on TV, because cameras caught BOTH sides, and SOMEONE could have stepped in to clear things up… but no, that wouldn’t be REAL, now would it? dramatized conflict is fantastic, because it’s always a clear conflict of interest or one group versus another group. people wearing blue versus people wearing green. conflict between sports teams, team rivalries that really have no bearing on reality on influence in the universe. effortless, clear, white and black conflict. one side against another. one is right and will be triumphant, and the other is WRONG! and the loser always loses big. they lose a million bucks, they lose a shallow girlfriend, they lose a vacation to some shit vacation place. in other words, they didn’t really lose anything, but in the end, you somehow feel bad for them, because ‘they just wanted their dreams.’ … don’t you want YOUR dreams? have you given up hope that much that you can only hope to get it vicariously through your favorite karaoke act? when was the last time you actually got into an argument with someone, were proven wrong, and didn’t walk away in a huff because the other person ‘just didn’t understand you’ even though you still admit you were wrong, you just FELT so right? i can’t remember that. i don’t leave arguments like that. i confront problems, as i encounter them. i don’t pussy foot around and spare words or feelings. sorry, it happens, get over it. i want to test your hypothesis, and if you can defend it, i can learn from you. if you can’t, great, done, don’t need to think about that idea any longer. i ignite conflict whenever i can, because it is the easiest way for me to learn how i might be wrong about something. i don’t avoid conflict, i look for it, because i want to educate myself, as much as i want to educate the ignorant bastard i’m about to say something to. so i see how many different people respond to conflict. quite frankly, it frightens me. people my age, who i expect to be mature about things, often respond to conflict like a pompous self-entitled reality tv show shit-stain-of-a-star. they clam up, avoid talking, run away, call you names, infer meaning in your words making you out to be some attacker. just generally juvenile reactions to stressful situations that you see over-dramatized on tv and in movies. it’s as if people have become worried that if their brains start working again, they’ll take in more of the ugly scenery around them, and the blinders might come off. people cling hopelessly to the phrase ‘ignorance is bliss.’ ignorance kills, so i’m sorry to disrupt YOUR personal bliss, but you’re getting in my way, and i need you to open your eyes, your heart and your mind. either lend me a hand of support or your words of constructive criticism, or shut the fuck up. it takes energy and effort to open your eyes and ask the right questions, and it definitely takes some practice, but if we all give it a try, we could use each other’s experience to guide us along. it takes energy and humility to argue with someone and accept that you were wrong about something, and learn the lesson. but that is the kind of conflict that pays dividends. not the pointless zero calorie conflict of politics. i can respect countries that have given in and admitted to some form of dictatorship. at least they’re being honest with their people about the effectiveness of any voting mechanisms. the way i see it, as long as we continue to see each other as red and blue, there will always be two dominant and equally unsatisfactory options on the polls. it may have begun with the best of intentions, but that might be assuming too much good in humanity. the bitter pill is that they’re two sides of the same coins. wherever people demand conflict and entertainment from their politicians, the politicians will cow to their audiences. can’t like the guy on the right because he has insane tax ideas, and thinks gays shouldn’t marry and hates abortions. can’t like the guy on the left because he wants to tax your brains out, force you to marry gays and abort your children. and yet, none of these issues really matters. they will sort themselves out, if we would request our politicians to stop fucking around and work. yeah, it’s a stressful job, so if you wanna snort coke and fuck hookers on your off hours, that’s great, i don’t care. just don’t come to work high, ok? and read the fucking bills, and stop putting idiotic riders on bills just to get the main bills squashed. stop acting like five year olds, just because the people who elected you seem to respond better to it. we elected you to look out for us, and protect us, like a government should, keep our interests in mind before those of corporations.